Gun.



F. L. FENCL & F. M. HINKLE.

GUN.

APPLICATION FILED lULY 30. 1917.

Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

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Br 2 f ATTORNEYS n r orrron FRANK I1. FENCL AND FRANCIS M. HINKLE, 0]? TABLE RQCK, NEBRASKA.

GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK L. FENoL and FRANCIS M. HINKLE, citizens of the United States, and residents of Table Rock, in the county of Pawnee and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guns, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is an improvement in guns, and has for its object to provide a gun especially suited for destroying gophers,wherein a gun is provided having a short barrel and a pistol grip, the muzzle of the barrel being provided with a stake for enabling the gun to be arranged in vertical position above the gopher hole, and wherein trigger operating mechanism is provided with and operated by a link extending beyond the muzzle of the barrel for setting 0d the trigger when the link is moved by the soil which the gopher pushes out ahead of him when leaving his hole.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of the improved gun;

Fig. 2 is a Fig. 3 is a Fig. 1.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the gun comprises a short barrel 1 and a pistol grip 2, the gun having the usual hammer 3 and the trigger 4: for operating the hammer. A. lever 5 is pivoted to the trigger guard 6, just in front of the trigger, and the said'lever is bent across the trigger, as shown in Fig. 8, and up alongside the barrel, the top end of the lever being bent inwardly toward the center of the barrel and having an eye 7 A coil spring 8 is connected at one end to the stock of the gun, as indicated at 9, and at the other to the eye 7, the spring acting normally to pull the lever rearwardly to operate the trigger to shoot the gun. A link 10 has one end connected with the eye 7, and the other end of the link has an eye or ring 11. This link is of a length to extend beyond the muzzle end of the barrel, and the said end is ofiset downwardly, as shown plan view;

section on the line 33 of more particularly in Fig. 1, to provide a catch 12 for engaging over the end of the barrel, to hold the lever 5 forward at its upper end against the resistance of the spring.

A clip 13 encircles the barrel at the muzzle end, the said clip being in the form of a split ring having radial lugs 14 at the ends of the split, and a stake 15 is held between the lugs, the said stake being inclined away from the line of fire. A rivet 16 is passed through the lugs 14 and through the stake for rigidly connecting the parts, and by means of the stake the gun may be arranged in approximately vertical position at the gopher hole, with the muzzle at the opening of the hole.

In use, the gun is loaded with a charge of powder, and the link 10 is arranged as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. The catch 12 engages over the end of the muzzle and holds the lever 5 in the full line position of Fig. l. The gun is now arranged above the gopher hole, with the ring 1 in the opening of the hole, and the gun is cocked. It is now readv for operation. When the gopher emerges from the hole he pushes before him a little pile of soil. This engages the ring 11, moving the link into the dotted line position of Fig. 1 and releasing the lever 5, which pulls the trigger. The explosion of the powder kills the gopher.

We claim:

1. A gun comprising a short barrel and a pistol grip, said barrel having at the muzzle a stake for engaging the ground to support the gun with its barrel approximately vertical, a lever pivoted to the trigger guard in front of the trigger and adapted to pull the trigger when the upper end of the lever is moved toward the grip. a spring normallv moving the lever toward the grip, a link pivoted to the lever and extending beyond the muzzle and having a catch for engaging the end of the barrel at the muzzle to hold the lever in inoperative position against the tension of the spring.

2. A gun having at its muzzle a stake for engaging the ground to support the gun with its barrel approximately vertical, a lever gaging the end of the barrel to hold the pivoted to the trigger guard and engaging lever in inoperative position.

the trigger and extending beyond the barrel, FRANK L. FENCL. a spring normally pulling the lever rear- FRANCIS M. HINKLE. wardly to cause it to pull the trigger, and a Witnesses: link pivoted to the lever and extending be- E. E. HANEL, yond the muzzle and having a catch for en- T. S. HAJNY.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

